Things to do / Travel Guide
This is the South, where the affluent and genteel have always appreciated the joining of artistry and botany. Expect live oak-lined walkways, palmettos along the avenues, and Spanish moss draping from everything.
Botanical Gardens in Georgia
Georgia's flora is quite diverse, with various climatic zones and soil types supporting a wide variety of species. In the south, it's much more tropical, while in the north, closer to Atlanta, it's a bit more temperate. Perhaps the biggest and most well-known botanical garden in the state of Georgia is the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, located in Piedmont Park in the center of the city. It's one of Atlanta's premier attractions.
The Atlanta Botanical Garden contains indoor as well as outdoor displays; featured are local plants and flowers, but also flora from specific regions and climates from around the world. These botanical exhibits are housed in specially-designed and heavily-regulated greenhouses, so as to mimic the climates of, for example, Southeast Asia or the Tropics. The rose garden features heirloom varieties from Western Europe, such as Souvenir de la Malmaison and Rêve d'Or. It's open year-round, but closed on Mondays.
In Athens, the University of Georgia has its State Botanical Garden of Georgia set aside on 313 acres. The State Botanical Garden is a “living laboratory,” with an emphasis on teaching and research. As with the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, you'll find both regional varieties plus a selection of the exotic. The exotic you'll find in the International Garden, while the native you'll find in the Heritage Garden, among others. The garden is free to visit and open everyday but Monday.
Botanical Gardens in South Carolina
There are many sights to see in Charleston, but within the top tier is the White Point Gardens, called the Battery by locals. The Battery is a collection of landscaped parks filled with palmetto trees, the state tree of South Carolina. Facing the harbor and Cooper River, the Battery is filled with relics from the American Civil War as well as various war monuments. A great walk to take is along the seawall, which runs along Murray Boulevard and East Battery. White Point Gardens is always open, and completely free to visit.
Just outside of Charleston, in Moncks Corner, visitors can check out Cypress Gardens, a 163-acre privately-owned swamp garden abundant with Spanish moss hanging from enormous cypress trees. Other plants and flowers include azaleas, camellias, daffodils, and crepe myrtle. Most visitors to Cypress Gardens enjoy wandering along footpaths that crisscross the whole area or by hopping in a flat-bottom boat that winds its way through the twisting, turning waterways of the swamp. The gardens are open year-round, save for national holidays.
Cypress Gardens also hosts a butterfly house, an aquarium, a reptile center, and an aviary sanctuary. Wandering around, you may also see woodpeckers, ducks, otters, and barred owls. While Cypress Gardens are beautiful all the time, one of the best times to visit is during March and April when the famous azaleas, among other flora, come into bloom.
www.boonehallplantation.com
Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia
Botanical-Gardens
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